Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ And If The Sun Won't Shine... ❯ Warm Blood ( Chapter 9 )

This is done on Feb 23. So, Angel takes a very deep breath and yells:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EIRI!!!!!!!!

Ahem…OMG, this gotta be the hardest chapter so far. You guys better appreciate this or I'll flood your house with my tears (teehehe). Don't worry about Ryu-chan. This is where the twist starts, yay! Don't hate Aoshi just yet. He's not that bad. As usual, pardon my grammatical errors or typos. After all, English isn't my mother tongue and this story is un-beta'ed.

RESPONSESTO REVIEWERS OF TRACK 5
Kimika: He he… That's why I clearly stated that I'm `pure evil'. Nyahaha!
Jwei Lih: Your update is here, sire.
NO!!!my sakuma san!1: Anou… I love Ryuichi way too much to just kill him like that. Hehehe…
Asato-chan: Poor Ryuichi? He's rich! (LOL!) I'm just kidding.
i love athrun: (look at the name!) You do? Me too!! - is dying to see GS Destiny - (cough) Anyway, read on to find out what happened.
Azure: No, don't die! You can't die yet. You've got to read this fic first!
ichigo-chan: Thankies.
LilBlue-Hedggie: Yep, that guy is sooooo dead! Thanks for the compliment. Keep reading.
Kolie: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! But you can't kill Aoshi. He's the key to the `mystery' (hey, that rhymes!)
Ryuko-chan: Okies, I won't kill Ryu-chan ^_^
Kitty in the Box: Thankies! That's such a short but deep view on the chapter.

Introducing the Tenshi Clan in
TRACK 6: WARM BLOOD

The sirens could be heard from the distance as the Nittle Grasper vocalist trailed in and out of consciousness in Shuichi's arms. He'd been shot squarely on the chest, missing his heart by a few inches. Eiri had never been this scared, seeing Shuichi broke down yelling Ryuichi's name over and over. Tohma had his arms wrapped around the young vocalist, trying his best to stop himself from crying. Tatsuha was frozen, too shocked to do anything. The guards were having a hard time fending off the media. All cameras were shut off. “Ryuichi-oniichan! Ryuichi-oniichan!” Ryuichi didn't answer Shuichi's desperate yelling of his name for he'd lost consciousness. Shuichi struggled in Tohma's arms. “Tohma-oniichan! Ryuichi-oniichan won't answer Shuichi! Doushite? Ne, doushita no?”

 

Tohma swore he heard his heart breaking at the desperateness of Shuichi's voice. He knew the boy in his arms was not the cold Shuichi they knew. It was the old Shuichi, the Shuichi before Shindou Aoshi and it looked like he was reliving his bloodied past judging by the way his eyes seemed to see past everyone but Tohma and Ryuichi. “Hush, Chibi-chan. Your Ryuichi-oniichan is going to be okay. Shh,” the blond tried to soothe Shuichi but to no avail. Tears were falling freely down his cheeks.

 

Tohma looked at Eiri with eyes that said ,'Please, help him!' Eiri promptly reached for the scared, confused Shuichi. The boy didn't refuse. He continued to sob, burying his face in the novelist's chest. The ambulance arrived a little while later and took Ryuichi away. Tohma informed Mika before they made a mad dash to the hospital. Tatsuha, in the meantime, was too frozen to say or do anything. He felt his heart stopping the moment Ryuichi fell down. The redness that stained Ryuichi's frilly white top triggered a sharp pain in his heart; a pain that made his heart bleed internally. It was only when they were on the way to the hospital that he did cry a silent cry. Over the past couple of weeks, Tatsuha was happier than he ever was. Getting to know Ryuichi personally had made him realise the feeling he harboured for the older man was neither a simple crush nor an infatuation. It was more than that.

 

It was love.

 

Shuichi was still shaking and crying silently in Eiri's gentle embrace. Eiri, noticing Tatsuha's distress, laid a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. Tatsuha wiped the tears off his face but they just kept on coming. Noriko was sobbing at the front seat while Tohma was driving the car at an incredible speed. The president kept stealing worried glances at Shuichi through the rear-view mirror. Although there were tears running down his face, his expression was hard. `Whoever did this will pay dearly! God, please let Ryuichi be alright. Shuichi will be broken if he… If he… No, please, just keep him alive!' Behind them, a car with K, Hiro, Suguru and Sakano inside followed. They all had the same thing on their minds; a wish for Ryuichi to make it through.

 

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o->

 

Ryuichi was shot just after he sang a song about `resurrection'.

 

It was such a situational irony.

 

Indeed, it was. Aoshi ran as fast as he could to the apartment he rented. If Shuichi saw him, the singer would no doubt blame him so he got no choice but to run. He was lucky to get away from the building without anyone noticing, not even the guards. The green-eyed man locked the door to his apartment and collapsed onto his couch. He had planned to approach Shuichi, Ryuichi and Tohma after their show ended. The guy in black just had to go and ruin his plan!

 

Aoshi knew there was no way he was going to be forgiven but he just had to talk to the three of them, especially Shuichi. The boy had trusted in him dearly and what did he do in return? He betrayed the boy's family. He `sold' them. After the incident, Aoshi vowed to never drink again. He wished he could just forget what happened six years ago but at the same time, he didn't want to. Everyday, he was reminded of his crime and consumed by guilt. He could not look at Shuichi's picture without crying. The eyes scared him most.

 

And he was the cause of it…

 

The man groaned in frustration. He hoped Ryuichi would be alright. He hoped the culprit would be caught soon.

 

…And he hoped the spikes in hell were sharp enough to punish him when he died.

 

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o->

 

The air in the waiting room was thick with worry and anxiety. Mika was comforting Tatsuha, who was silently crying with his head hung low. Shuichi was clinging to Eiri as if he feared the latter would disappear any minute. Tohma and Noriko both had their eyes closed and were praying for Ryuichi's safety. When the doctor came out of the operation room, they all rushed to their feet. “Sensei, how is he?” Tohma was the first to ask. The middle-aged man looked to every one of them before speaking, “We managed to get the bullet out alright. Thankfully, no important organ is damaged. However, Sakuma-san lost a great deal of blood and unfortunately, our hospital does not have the suitable blood. So…”

 

“Then take my blood!” Shuichi interrupted before the doctor finished his sentence. “My blood would match his. Please, you don't need to test me. I'm perfectly clean.” The doctor was hesitant at first but seeing a life is at stake here, there was nothing to lose. He nodded and brought Shuichi with him to start the blood transfusion. They waited patiently for another half an hour. Eiri hoped Shuichi would be okay. The party bathed in silence until -

 

“What in the world is happening?” Tatsuha, who had been unusually quiet, burst out all of a sudden. All heads turned to look at his confused expression. “Ryuichi's blood type is B, isn't it? How would Shuichi-san's blood match his? Isn't his blood type A in the record?” Mika pondered on the revelation. “That's right. Ryuichi would die if he gets Shindou-san's blood!”

 

`There is no escaping this, I guess…' “No, Mika. He won't,” Tohma said calmly.

 

“Why did you say that, Tohma-nii?” This time, it was Eiri who asked. He was just as confused as the rest of the gang. Noriko and Tohma shared a short glance at each other before the former nodded her head as a sign of permission for Tohma to speak. Tohma did. “Because Shuichi's actual blood type is B.”

 

Silence ensued.

 

A shrill, indignant cry of “WHAT?” followed a short while later.

 

The party were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice the approaching footsteps. “Well, well, well… It sure looked as if something interesting is being told,” said a smiling man with neatly cut light-brown hair who approached the surprised crowd of famous people. Beside the man was another man identical to him except for small ponytail he spotted. It was obvious that the two were twins. Tohma stared in disbelief at the two. “Kuroi-san? Shiroi-san? What are you guys doing here?” He almost stuttered. Suguru raised an eyebrow, clearly not liking the fact that his cousin seemed to have so much secrets. Not that his family was close to Tohma's but still…The man without the ponytail grinned. “Yo, Tohma-san!” The other man merely nodded. The expression he bore was very much similar to Shuichi's.

 

Eiri looked back and forth between Tohma and the strangers. “Anou, Tohma-nii… You know them?” he asked, gesturing at the two. Tohma nodded. “Everyone, meet Tenshi Kuroi (the man with ponytail nodded) and his twin, Tenshi Shiroi (the grinning man waved). They're Inspectors and old friends of mine, Ryuichi's cousins.” Shiroi beamed and stated proudly, “We volunteered to take this case as soon as we heard of the victim. Ryuichi is a good cousin of ours. There's no way we're letting the culprit gets away.” Kuroi nodded his agreement to the statement made by his younger twin. “So,” Eiri started, “ - you know Tohma-nii and Ryuichi-san. Does that mean you know Shuichi too?”

 

“Of course we know Shuichi. He's -“

 

“A friend.”

 

All heads turned to the person who just emerged from the operation room with his left hand pressing cotton buds to his right hand. Shuichi stood there with annoyance in his eyes, directed to both Kuroi and Shiroi. “Their father Tenshi Murakami, a retired high-ranked police officer, is an old acquaintance of my father, brother-in-law of Ryuichi's father and Tohma's father.” Kuroi smirked. “Right, a friend of ours.” Eiri was in Shuichi's side in a flash, supporting the exhausted singer with his arms. Shuichi was too exhausted to complain about the obvious display of affection. Ryuichi was then transferred to Room 405 where the doctor confirmed the singing sensation was stable and out of danger. Everyone breathed sighs of relief. Shuichi was about to sit on the chair next to Ryuichi's bed but changed his mind when he saw Tatsuha's pale complexion. He was not as cold as they thought he was. “Tatsuha-kun,” he softly said, making the younger teen looked up. Shuichi motioned for him to sit and for everyone else to leave the room.

 

Beep!

 

Beep!

 

Beep!

 

Tatsuha stared at the unconscious form lying on the bed. The beeping of the heart monitor, combined with the steady rise and fall of Ryuichi's chest, assured Tatsuha that the man he'd grown to love was indeed alive. It was almost surreal, seeing the usually bubbly singer lying helpless in a hospital bed. Ryuichi and silence was not a good combination. He inwardly cursed the one who shot Ryuichi. What did Ryuichi do to deserve this? It wasn't fair, damn it! Tatsuha thanked Shuichi over and over for his blood. Without him, Ryuichi's life would still be in danger by then. He didn't know why Shuichi faked his data but he decided he didn't care anymore. His brother's lover had saved the life of his beloved.

 

Taking a gentle but firm hold of Ryuichi's left hand, Tatsuha chanted a silent mantra he'd learnt. He was, after all, still a monk-in-training.

 

`Kami-sama, please let Ryuichi recover soon!'

 

Tatsuha didn't even realise that Ryuichi's hand was getting wet from all those tears he didn't notice he was crying.

 

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o->

 

Tohma convinced Suguru, Sakano, K, Hiro and Noriko to go home. Mika simply refused to leave Tohma's side and Eiri wouldn't go home without Shuichi. Talk about Uesugi stubborn streak… Shuichi was still staring pointedly at Kuroi and Shiroi. “Tell me why your headquarters sent two incompetent inspectors to investigate Ryuichi's case,” the singer bluntly spoke. Shiroi resisted the sudden urge to strangle Shuichi. “We assure you that Kuroi and I are more than competent enough to handle this case, Shuichi. Believe it or not, we've solved many difficult cases before. I swear on my father's name that we're going to find the culprit by hook or by crook. Trust us.”

 

Shuichi huffed. “I don't even trust my own shadow and I'm supposed to trust two police officers who couldn't even shoot straight?”

 

Kuroi's eyes narrowed dangerously. “At least we're not some cold-hearted bastard who altered his blood type just so people won't start comparing him to Sakuma Ryuichi more than they already do!” Eiri and Mika blinked rapidly. So, that's why Shuichi faked his personal data. He didn't want people to call him a Ryuichi-look-alike or a Ryuichi-wannabe. The similarities of their physical appearance were trouble enough. Tohma stepped up between the two before a fight could break. Both Shuichi and Kuroi took a step back to cool down. “We're only trying to help. There's no need to badmouth us, you ungrateful git!” Kuroi snarled. “Honestly, Shuichi! I can't believe you're such a bastard now. Where the hell is the sweet Shuichi we knew?” Shiroi's voice was sharp but laced with disappointment and anger towards the teenage singer.

 

“Time changes people, Shiroi. Maybe he's dead or stuck in purgatory. Who knows?”

 

“He wouldn't be dead if you weren't so determined to kill him!”

 

This time, it was Eiri who glared menacingly at the twin. “I won't have you talking to Shuichi with that tone,” he growled angrily. Shuichi was amazed at the sudden change in Eiri. The novelist's glare mirrored his own! Shiroi held his hands up defensively. “Whoa, cool down, Uesugi-san. You do know that you're threatening an inspector, don't you?” Eiri growled again, much to Mika's amusement. Seeing her brother getting utterly angry was a rare case. Tohma drew eeryone's attention by clearing his throat. “Mika-koishii, Eiri-san, could you please wait for us in the cafeteria? Shuichi and I must speak with Kuroi-san and Shiroi-san.” Eiri was about to argue but Mika was already dragging her brother to the cafeteria, leaving Shiroi, Tohma, Kuroi and Shuichi in the waiting room.

 

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o->

 

“You've got to be kidding me!” 36-years-old Tenshi Aoki exclaimed in shock. He nearly fell off his chair as his father, Tenshi Murakami, narrated the story to him. Murakami, although almost nearing sixty years of age, was still a firm looking man. His head was still full of hairs and the wrinkles on his face were minimal compared to men his age. One could tell he was once an extremely handsome man in his younger days. His brown eyes still held a glorious fire in each of them. The old man nodded at his son, who was gaping like a dying fish. The electric fire was the only source of light in the western style room. The lighting complimented Aoki's complexion. A few books had fallen off the shelves and Murakami slowly rocked back and forth in his antique, high-class rocking chair.

 

“Otousan, you said the `case' was solved and closed. What do you mean by `people acting on vengeance'?”

 

Murakami sighed. He wished his wife Midori was still awake by then to be by his side. “Son, there were deaths on the bad guys' side during the horrid bloodbath. They wanted to avenge those thugs' deaths.”

 

Aoki gasped. “That means Shuichi's life is in grave danger! He was the witness of the massacre.” Murakami nodded at that. “I don't understand how people could be so cruel. Shuichi's just a kid. What threat does he bring, anyway?”

 

A snort.

 

“You'll be amazed at how far some people would go for wealth and power.”

 

Aoki let a sigh of exasperation escaped him. Being part of the Sakuma family, he was the Co-Director of Sakuma Holding. His mother, Tenshi Midori was Sakuma Midori before she married Murakami. It was funny how the members of the Tenshi family were named after colours; purple, green, blue, red, black and white. Speaking of the colour red… Where was his brother Akai?

 

As if on cue, the front door slammed shut and another door met the same fate a minute later. Tenshi Akai must be in a very bad mood because the 34-year-old man usually walked the ground with grace to match his good looks. If memory served them right, Akai had been acting weird since Nittle Grasper officially announced their coming back a few days ago. Murakami's eyes narrowed. Something suspicious was going on…

 

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o->

 

“Ahem,” Shiroi started, “ - we've checked the crime scene but found no evidence whatsoever that could help point us to the direction of the criminal. But that doesn't mean we're just going to let the matter go. We've got a theory so far.”

 

“Oh? Do explain,” asked Shuichi. Tohma looked at him with a frown that said `Please, Shuichi, don't be so rude. They're handling this case!'

 

Kuroi continued where his brother left off, “Before we were informed of the incident, we were at our father's house. He received a simple but strange note. It was found in the mailbox. We were confused when we first saw it but then, something about the words clicked.” The ponytailed inspector held a piece of paper with words written in red ink. It said:

The bloodied handsof `the little child'shall bleed once more
butthis timewith his blood instead of ours.
Sweet, sweet vengeance! The day shall come.
No sun will shine on him anymore.
His beloved shall take the first trips -
and we'll laugh;watching himsuffer.

 

Shuichi and Tohma's eyes widened at the note.

 

“I see you've got the message,” Kuroi said, folding the note and putting it back into his pocket. “We didn't get it until we were informed of Ryuichi. Otousan almost had a heart attack. And then we realised what the note meant.” The twin looked at each other and fixed their gaze on Shuichi. Tohma stood behind Shuichi with both his hands on Shuichi's shoulder, trying to let Shuichi know he wasn't alone in all this. “The note means…”

 

“It means the people associated to the massacre you were forced to witness six years ago wanted revenge because you thwarted their original plan back then, which was to murder every members of your family. And now, they're back to avenge their friends' death. But they will not attempt to kill you straight away.

 

They want to see you suffer through the death of your loved ones and your friends.”

 

Shuichi froze.

 

Beads of cold sweat started to form on his forehead. He could feel Tohma's grip on his shoulders tightening. Because of him alone, lives would be in danger.

 

Hiro, Suguru, K, Sakano, Tatsuha, Mika…

 

And of course Ryuichi and Tohma…

 

And more importantly…

 

`Kami-sama… NO! NOT HIM!!'

 

Eiri…

 

To Be Continued in Track 7: Hello, Goodbye

That's Track 6. I've drawn a pic of Kuroi and Shiroi. Check it out at www [dot] predilection [dot] org [slash] kuroi-shiroi-tenshi [dot] jpg

I know they're not that good but hey! Drawing with mouse is never easy. Still, I love Shiroi, hehe… Look at the title of next track chapter! I think you could already guess what's going to happen.

One more thing… Who do you think should be the seme in Tat and Ryu's relationship? Gimme your opinion, ppl!

For now, please be so kind as to REVIEW. Until later!